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Thanks for posting your experiences Liz, I just got an Intuos 4 for christmas after using an Intuos 2 for about 8 years and completely *hate* the roughness of the surface, im glad to know its going to get worn down to that glassy feel once again - the pen drag is driving me nuts after just one day.

Sorry to go off-topic, but have you tried out the invisibleSHIELD yet? Does it feel different or more "artificial" then the normal surface? And the most important question: Does it stop the nib wear? Everything else would be unimportant for me, I don't mind a few scratches on my surface.

Sorry to go off-topic, but have you tried out the invisibleSHIELD yet? Does it feel different or more "artificial" then the normal surface? And the most important question: Does it stop the nib wear? Everything else would be unimportant for me, I don't mind a few scratches on my surface.

This product has also been brought up on the Wacom forums. It covers everything except the surface area, so it doesn't help with nib wear.

Here are some surfaces that people use and that you could try to avoid nib wear:

Some people also use smoothed toothpicks which I find to be a bit ridiculous. Since the nibs don't have any function except activating the pressure sensor, it is a better idea to find a local craftsman who can make you a couple of nibs out of a hard non-metallic material like glass, or cover your existing nib tips with such.

This should make the nibs indestructible although the surface sheet of the Intuos4 will still wear down. This can result in an uneven distribution of smoothness, so using an alternate cover sheet might still be in order.

The other option is using smooth sandpaper to evenly smoothen the existing Intuos4 surface to the level of an Intuos3. From that point on the surface and nibs should only show minimal wear, if any.

Depending on the surface you choose, you might have to use an artist's glove since not all of them (but some) allow skin to glide smoothly. This comes down to trying different materials at an art or office supply store.

I ordered an Intuos3 surface sheet for my Intuos4. I will post results here. Should arrive here on Monday. I'm using laminated photo paper at the moment but the nibs only last maybe 2-3 times as long. Not a good long term solution.

So far it's looking very good. It's a good fit without any modification, just not sure if I should use double-sided or one-sided tape. The tape that's already on the surface is on only the upper side so I'm not gonna use it (it's sealed off).

Since the nibs are made of the same materials in i3 and i4, this should set an end to nib wear. Yay!

The price is a bit high for what basically amounts to a sheet of plastic but I would recommend this method as a simple solution to the nib problems with the i4. I've tried other plastic sheets, photo paper, transparent paper etc. but they weren't really a good long-term solution (nibs still wear, just slower). This i3 sheet should do it.

I'm using the i3 sheet on top of the i4 sheet. You could also take out the i4 and cut the i3 to size but that seems unnecessary to me.

I have my intous4 for 12 days now. My regular tip (the black one) is starting to change, it has became flat but it still stands out a few mm so I can draw with it, but it had became flat in an angle, is this bad for the drawing progress?

I just tried all the other pentips /nibs on the i4 and I would compare the tips as following:Black nib (5x) (6 including the one that was in my pen already): Like a pencil (a graphite one) on paper.White nib (3x, with a bit of texture on it): Feels like those cheap coloring pencils with the inkt. Don't know the right word for it because pencil can mean the graphite ones and the one with the inkt?! This nibs gives a little more friction/resistance.Nib with the spring: (1x) Not really special I think, only that it contract a little when it slide's in a little bit.Black nib with the white tip: (1x) Feels very smooth I can't compare it to any traditional tool but it just goes very smooth around the surface.

About the surface: I was used to a wacom Bamboo (Fun, white) and this intuos4 has almost the same surface as this bamboo. It is less smooth than the intuos3 but this also gives a more traditional feeling, like working on real paper.

If you are used to a intuos3 I can imagine the big change, but when your used to a bamboo it's just a big improvement

About the design: I think this black design is awesome, the border with the express keys is glossy which is chique, but it also shows all of your fingerprints and soil/spots.
The express keys are working fine although the touchring is a bit of getting used to.

To me, the best option sounds like purposely wearing down the existing intuos 4 sheet, sounds like the cheapest and most effective method. All the other methods sound expensive for what they are (just plastic) and also messy and ugly (who wants some sheet of plastic "taped" to the surface of their 350 - 500 dollar piece of equipment?

Hi everybody! I'm about to get intuos4 . I never really used any of wacom products before other than a day or two on bamboo I read about surface problems and going to get a maylar sheet just in case but I have a question: will this kind be ok? http://www.business-supply.com/mylar...A_product.html

Also I understand that the nibs wear out fast but how fast exactly? I mean... I'm gonna use it about 2-3 times a week for 2-3 h a pop, should I worry about getting extra nibs now or I have 5-6 months before I have to do it?